Maintenance Checklists for New Homeowners
Buying a home is a significant financial and life goal for many of us. So, when new homeowners sign that last contract and unpack that last box, it can seem like “happily ever after” has finally arrived. However, being a homeowner is just the beginning of a long-term relationship with the home of your dreams, and like all relationships, it will require work. The first few years of homeownership may come as a shock, particularly when it comes to costs for upkeep and maintenance.
If you’ve never owned a home before, it can be easy to miscalculate what you need to budget for in the first year. A recent Bankrate survey found that, on average, a homeowner pays $2,000 annually just on maintenance. Experts advise saving 1-3% of your home’s purchase price annually to remain proactive against both planned and unexpected expenses that will pop up during your homeowner journey.
Luckily, there are ways to lessen or discount what a homeowner may pay for repairs by thinking preventatively and acting proactively regarding home maintenance. Routine maintenance helps protect the investment you made when you bought your home. Not only will preventative maintenance help sustain the wellbeing of your home in the long run but it allows you the opportunity to acquire the skills you’ll need to continue caring for your home, saving you money from potentially costly repairs down the road while instilling the pride of homeownership.
Monthly Home Maintenance
While you may spend a few hours on the weekend doing some general chores, there are also some tasks you may not have considered. By taking the time for preventative care by installing life-saving equipment such as fire extinguishers and carbon monoxide detectors, you can help prevent major accidents before they happen. And luckily, the time investment isn’t as taxing as you may think.
Add these quick and preventative projects to your monthly cleaning checklist:
But remember, every home is different. You may need to remove or add tasks to your monthly maintenance checklist based on the needs of your home.
Seasonal Home Maintenance
Homeowners today are having to think differently about seasonal home maintenance than perhaps ever before. Not only has climate change caused an increase in natural disasters in areas already prone to risk, but due to overdevelopment in certain areas that were previously untouched based on risk assessment. This makes seasonal maintenance more important than ever. Zillow and Climate Central produced an analysis (downloadable PDF & interactive map) to provide projections of where homes are the most vulnerable now and where to expect increases of risk far into the future. Take a peek below at some examples of seasonal home maintenance checklists.
Spring
Summer
Fall
Winter
You probably noticed a few items are necessary more than once a year. Some tasks should be completed every season because the damage these could cause if left undone can be expensive and these are the most frequent home insurance claims.
These chores are, of course, examples and are great jumping-off points to creating your own seasonal maintenance checklists. The more you get to know your home, community and local weather patterns, it is a good idea to audit and edit your checklists every couple of months based on the needs of your home specifically. For example, your fall home maintenance checklist will have a few tasks that differ from your winter maintenance checklist.
Annual Home Maintenance Checklist
If you complete a monthly and seasonal home maintenance checklist, you will take some pressure off your annual home checklist. Whether you’re cleaning the gutters, mowing the lawn, or cleaning the oven — taking care of these issues before they have a chance to become a problem will save you time and money. According to Cash Value of Home Maintenance, every dollar spent on maintenance prevents up to $100 of repair costs.
In a post-pandemic survey we conducted this year, we found that 2 out of 3 homeowners don’t currently have a proactive home maintenance checklist that they perform routinely. However, after our homes became our whole world during that time, people began to see why home maintenance is so vital. Anything that you didn’t get to during your monthly or seasonal home maintenance checklist, be sure to add to your annual checklist. Once you have done that, make sure to check off the below to-do’s.
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